The Last Days of His Life
by WeirdEmmaline
Summary: This fic is a retelling of Episode One with everything the same but Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are in an established relationship. Eventual major character death, obvs.
1. Chapter 1

Obi-Wan Kenobi woke beside his Master on the small transport that carried them. He was nuzzled up against the older man's chest, enveloped in his thick, strong arms. He felt happy and warm and safe, three things he knew were foolish to feel while off on a mission.

Half-asleep and tangled in the limbs of his beloved, however, there was nothing that could go wrong. Life was good. Soon they would meet with the representatives from the Trade Federation. Once this trade dispute was sorted, they would have almost a week to spend on Naboo before their ride back to Coruscant would be ready.

He snuggled in closer to his Master, planting a sleepy kiss on his smooth, broad pectoral. It was only then that Qui-Gon Jinn stirred, blinking hard before yawning and tightening his grip on his Padawan.

"It's still early," he murmured.

"We'll be arriving soon," his Padawan replied. Both men sighed. Qui-Gon pressed a lazy kiss into the younger man's hair before releasing him so at least one of them could begin to get ready for the day.

Their mission was important, after all. The people of Naboo were starving and dying because of the Trade Federation's blockade. The Jedi Council, indeed even Supreme Chancellor Valorum himself believed Jinn and Kenobi to be the wisest choice in who to send.

Obi-Wan had been flattered. Qui-Gon, on the other hand, was less than convinced.

As his Padawan slipped into the fresher, Qui-Gon sat up and inched his way to the edge of the bed. Stretching and yawning, he looked around the room. Their clothing was scattered across just about every surface in their tiny cabin. A small smile found its way to Qui-Gon's face as he remembered all that had led up to the mess they now had to clean up.

 _Always so eager, Obi-Wan is,_ he thought as he slowly pushed himself to his feet. Every joint between his ankles and his hips snapped, crackled, or popped as he stood. He was thankful his Padawan was in the midst of cleaning himself and had not heard that.

He collected every piece of clothing they had discarded in their haste to get to the bed the night before and folded it neatly. It wouldn't reflect well on the Order if they left the cabin looking like a war zone. He pretended not to hear the fresher door hiss open, instead focusing on the memories that each article of clothing he picked up roused in him.

"Shouldn't you be getting dressed, Master?" Obi-Wan asked, tapping his boot against the floor. Qui-Gon didn't need to turn around to see the way the boy was posed. Arms folded across his chest, one hip jutted out, opposite foot tap-tap-tapping away. It was a pose he'd found himself in quite a few times while waiting for the boy to finish doing something foolish.

"Someone's got to clean this place up. Besides, I can't rightly go into these negotiations caked in yesterday's sweat," Qui-Gon replied as he turned to face him. Obi-Wan's cheeks were flushed and he was clearly trying to avert his gaze. Qui-Gon couldn't help but grin.

"Come now, Obi-Wan. How many times have you seen me this way and still you blush."

"Give me time, Master," Obi-Wan said. Qui-Gon closed the gap between them and kissed him chastely before sauntering into the fresher.

"All the time you need," he said as he closed the door. Obi-Wan's blush deepened as he went and sat at the edge of the bunk they'd shared the night before. Qui-Gon was broadcasting hazy memories through their training bond, memories that made Obi-Wan's breath catch in his throat and his pants tighten.

He loved how deliberate his Master was. From the moment that they had confessed their love for one another, he had made it incredibly clear that he desired Obi-Wan and only Obi-Wan. The love his Master had for him radiated off of him in delicious waves.

What a devious man Qui-Gon Jinn was. Obi-Wan found himself viewing the world through his Master's eyes quite suddenly, feeling the sensations his master felt as well. Obi-Wan shivered and cried out as Qui-Gon came, sharing the sensation with the younger man through their Force bond.

As Obi-Wan settled back into his own head, he realized he would have to change his pants. It took him a few minutes to catch his breath. Qui-Gon always knew how to show him something more intense than he could imagine. It almost seemed like it was a game to him.

If it was a game, Obi-Wan was content to let his Master win.

He composed himself and quickly changed his pants before Qui-Gon exited the fresher. He made brief eye contact with the younger man as he finished dressing himself. The tiny flash of a grin was all Obi-Wan needed to see to know that his Master was pleased with what he'd managed while cleaning himself.

"I thought you would scold me for wasting a clean pair of trousers," Obi-Wan said, only half teasing his Master.

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to reply, but it was at that exact moment that the captain of the ship came across the loudspeaker. "Master Jinn, sir. We are approaching the Federation blockade."

Obi-Wan Kenobi fell into stride a few steps behind his Master as they headed for the cockpit. As they entered the tiny cockpit, both Jedi put up their hoods to obscure their faces from any possible outgoing transmissions.

"Captain," Qui-Gon said as he looked out the viewport at the blockade ships. "Tell them we wish to board at once."

"Yes sir." The captain, a young human obviously rather eager to work with the Jedi, flipped a couple of switches on the control panel in front of them to turn on the holoscreen. "With all due respect, the ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor wish to board at once."

"Yes, of course. As you know, our blockade is perfectly legal. And we'd be happy to receive the ambassadors."

The Captain and their co-pilot maneuvered the ship into a small docking bay on the nearest Trade Federation ship.

"Thank you for your assistance, Captain. We should not be too long," Qui-Gon said as they turned to debark. The sooner they got on with these negotiations, the sooner they could leave.

"Of course, Master Jinn. We are always happy to help the Jedi."

If he had known that would be the last time he would address their brave captain, Qui-Gon might've been more appreciative.

They were pointed in the direction of a set of blast doors as they exited their ship, and once on the other side of the blast doors they found themselves face-to-face with a protocol droid.

"I am TC-14 at your service. This way, please," said the protocol droid. The Jedi followed as the droid led them to a conference room not far from the hangar where their ship waited. As they entered, the droid continued. "We are greatly honored by your visit, ambassadors. Make yourselves comfortable. My master will be with you shortly."

With that, the droid turned and left. As the door hissed shut behind it, both Jedi removed their hoods with one swift flick of their wrists.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Obi-Wan said immediately. Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow.

"I don't sense anything," he replied.

"It's not about the mission, Master. It's something elsewhere… Elusive."

"Don't center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan. Keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs," Qui-Gon said as he made his way toward the long table at the center of the room. Obi-Wan followed close behind.

"But Master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future," Obi-Wan said.

"But not at the expense of the moment. Be mindful of the Living Force, my young Padawan," Qui-Gon corrected him as he looked out the large viewport on the far end of the room. Naboo was a positively stunning planet with its vibrant mixture of greens and blues.

"Yes, Master," Obi-Wan said, feeling thoroughly chastised. After a short pause, he asked, "How do you think this Trade Viceroy will deal with the Chancellor's demands?"

"These Federation types are cowards," Qui-Gon said. "The negotiations will be short."

For a long moment, the two Jedi stood in silence and admired the beautiful planet they were orbiting. _Soon_ , Qui-Gon thought, _soon we will be down there without a care in the galaxy._ He couldn't wait to spend some quality time with his Padawan. From the excitement he could feel radiating off of Obi-Wan, he guessed that he wasn't the only eager one.

They turned and made their way back to the end of the table closest to the door and sat down. No sense in standing around waiting.

"Is it in their nature to make us wait this long?" Obi-Wan asked just before the door hissed open, revealing the protocol droid. It was carrying a tray with drinks on it now.

"No. I sense an unusual amount of fear over something as trivial as this trade dispute," replied Qui-Gon as they each took a glass from the tray the droid held. Obi-Wan sniffed the drink before lifting it to his lips. It seemed to be water, but it had a strange, not entirely pleasant aftertaste.

"You don't think they're afraid of us, do you Master?" Obi-Wan asked. Qui-Gon shook his head.

"I wouldn't doubt it," he said.

"They won't try anything—" Obi-Wan didn't have a chance to get the entire sentence out before an explosion rocked the ship. Both Jedi were on their feet at once, their lightsabers ignited and at the ready.

For a long moment all was silent, before the sudden, telltale hiss hit Qui-Gon's ears. "Dioxis!" he exclaimed before taking a deep breath of clean air. His Padawan did the same as they both powered down their lightsabers. Through meditation and self-discipline, they would be able to hold their breath for far longer than the average human might be able to. With the aid of the Force, all things were possible.

All they needed to do now was wait.


	2. Chapter 2

**_AN: My sincerest apologies for the said-isms in this chapter._**

Obi-Wan thought his lungs might burst if the door didn't open soon. When finally it did, he was all to eager to spring into action. It was only a stern thought from his Master that stopped him.

-Not yet,- Qui-Gon said through their Force bond. The protocol droid exited the room first and was greeted by battle droids cocking their blasters.

It wasn't until the droid was out of the line of fire that Qui-Gon ignited his lightsaber once more, followed swiftly by Obi-Wan. The air sang with the hum of electricity from their blades and the sharp, staccato bursts from the droids' blasters. They took care of the battle droids in short order, their movements in perfect sync.

Obi-Wan reached out with the Force as reinforcements arrived to aid the fallen battle droids and deactivated them all in one swift motion. They clattered to the ground like overgrown children's toys.

"This way," Qui-Gon said, leading the way through wave after wave of battle droids. Obi-Wan kept pace perfectly with his Master. -To the bridge,- the thought was the very definition of an afterthought. Were their lives not in danger, Obi-Wan might've laughed.

As they approached the bridge, Obi-Wan worked to clear the corridor, deflecting blasterfire back at the droids firing at them and using the force to disable those he couldn't reach. Behind him, his Master set to work opening the door the hard way— with his lightsaber.

The number of droids in the corridor steadily decreased until Obi-Wan was facing one at a time with an interval of several seconds between each one appearing. He found himself almost eagerly awaiting each one as they approached, reaching out with the Force to sense them before he could see them.

Qui-Gon paused and Obi-Wan turned back inquisitively as they heard a second set of doors slamming shut. The Master withdrew his lightsaber from the neat circle he'd been cutting in the door and plunged it to the hilt in the center of the door. The door began to melt. He hoped it would get through both doors.

He wouldn't have time to find out, as Obi-Wan cried out, "Master, destroyers!"

In an instant he once again with drew his lightsaber from the door and moved to rejoin his Padawan as two large brown droids rolled up. As they began shooting, they deployed a thin blue energy barrier. All deflected shots were simply absorbed by this barrier, doing no damage to the droids.

"They've shield generators!" Obi-Wan exclaimed. Qui-Gon shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"It's a standoff. Let's go!" he said. In a flash, the two Jedi deactivated their lightsabers and took off down the corridor as the droids gave chase, shooting continuously.

Qui-Gon saw his chance and took it, pointing his Padawan to an air vent. With one swift swipe of his lightsaber, the vent fell away, allowing them to crawl up into it. Behind them, the droids continued to shoot, thankfully unaware of where the Jedi had gone.

Once they came to a juncture large enough that they could comfortably approach one another, Qui-Gon drew his Padawan into a tight hug as he took stock of his physical and mental state.

-I'm all right, I'm all right,- Obi-Wan insisted, but he was doing the same thing to his Master. Neither was wounded beyond slight, stinging burns where they'd been careless with their blades or blasterfire had come just a bit too close to hitting them. Nothing life-threatening. That was the most important part.

Qui-Gon ran a playful hand through the boy's short hair as he pulled away.

-What's our next move?- he asked his Padawan. Obi-Wan thought for a long moment.

-We need to find transport away from here. They will only continue to try to kill us if we stay.-

-I believe you are right, Obi-Wan.- They continued on through the ventilation system until they came to another opening. Through it they could see a large hangar filled with battle droids and troop transport ships.

They removed the vent cover and slipped out of the ventilation shaft and into the hangar, where they hid behind a large pile of cargo containers.

"Battle droids," Qui-Gon breathed.

"It's an invasion army." Obi-Wan nodded.

"This is an odd play for the Trade Federation. We've got to warn the Naboo and contact Chancellor Valorum," said Qui-Gon. "Let's split up. Stow aboard separate ships. We'll meet down on the planet."

There was a spark of mischief in Obi-Wan's eyes as he continued to nod in agreement. As they looked at the droids being loaded onto the troop transport ships, he turned to his Master, hardly able to contain the wry smile spreading across his face.

"You were right about one thing, Master," he said. Qui-Gon looked at him expectantly, raising an eyebrow. "The negotiations were short."

Qui-Gon did not look amused. Obi-Wan found, as his Master slunk off in the opposite direction of him, that he worried that would be the last thing he ever said to his Master.

 _So much for an easy mission followed by a week of relaxation,_ he thought as he climbed aboard one of the troop transport ships and found himself a hiding spot.

It wasn't until the ship was beginning to move that Obi-Wan began to wonder in earnest whether there would be oxygen for him to breathe on the trip down to the planet's surface. He knew he'd find out soon enough.

Qui-Gon, on the other hand, once settled into his hiding place began to meditate. He didn't worry about such trivial things as whether he'd be able to breathe on the journey through space.

He was hardly aware that he'd moved at all when the transport jolted violently upon landing. His eyes snapped open and he watched and waited. The second the hatch opened he was down the ramp. He didn't stop running from the moment his boots hit the damp green grass of the Naboo plains until the moment a curious white-and-orange amphibious creature blocked his path, forcing him to drop to the ground and allow the transports and tanks to pass over him and the creature.

As soon as the crafts had passed them over, Qui-Gon was on his feet again and moving toward the familiar, yet distant, pull of his beloved. Obi-Wan was an ever-present presence in his mind. No matter how close or far from one another they were, Qui-Gon could feel where the younger man was.

In this case, he wasn't too far.

"Whatsen that?" the orange-and-white amphibious creature asked, and Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. _So it can speak. Sort of,_ he thought as he continued moving, not in the mood to stop and contemplate the creature. "Hey wait!"

Qui-Gon quickened his pace as the creature hurried to catch up with him. _I don't have time for this today,_ he thought. _I've got to find Obi-Wan and we've got to warn the Queen!_

"Oh muy muy, I love you!" exclaimed the creature as he caught up with the Jedi.

"You almost got us killed!" Qui-Gon said, allowing more than a little of his irritation with the creature to spill into his words. "Are you brainless?"

"I speak!" the creature replied, sounding more than a little offended. Qui-Gon rolled his eyes.

"The ability to speak does not make one intelligent. Now get out of here."

"No, no! Meesa stay! Meesa called Jar Jar Binks! Meesa your humble servant!" cried the creature.

"That won't be necessary," insisted Qui-Gon.

"Oh but it is! Tis demanded by the Gods, it is!" As Qui-Gon opened his mouth to protest further, their until-then peaceful walk through the swampy forest was disrupted by blaster fire. "Oh no!" screamed Jar Jar.

"Stay down!" Qui-Gon ordered as he ignited his lightsaber. Jar Jar dove into the dirt, covering his head with his hands. He was at once relieved and horrified to see that it was none other than his Padawan drawing the blasterfire, his lightsaber tucked in his belt uselessly.

-I've shorted out my 'saber, Master, I'm sorry,- the younger man said as he ran for his Master. Qui-Gon deflected the fire back at the battle droids shooting at them from their speeders, effectively disarming them. Once they were safe, he deactivated his lightsaber and embraced his Padawan. It was at that same moment that Jar Jar managed to scramble back to his feet.

"You saved my again!" he said, looking appreciatively toward Qui-Gon.

"What's this?" Obi-Wan asked, a hint of a mischievous grin on his lips. Qui-Gon didn't try to hide the disgust on his face.

"A local," he said. "Let's get out of here before more droids show up."

"More?" Jar Jar sounded alarmed. "More did you speak?" He hurried after the Jedi as they began to walk through the forest together. "Ex-squeeze me, but the mostest safest place would be Gunga city! Tis where I grew up. Tis a hidden city!"

"A city?" Qui-Gon asked, stopping short to allow the Gungan to catch up.

"Uh-hah!" Jar Jar replied, nodding enthusiastically.

"Can you take us there?"

The Gungan looked conflicted. "Uh…" He looked at the ground, rubbing his neck. "On second thought, no. Not really, no."

"No?" Qui-Gon asked, incredulous.

"Is embarrassing," Jar Jar confessed. "But, ah, my afraid my have been banished. My forgotten. The Bosses will do terrible things to me, _terrible_ things to me if me going back there!"

Almost on cue, the tanks and transports moving across the landscape made an especially loud noise. Qui-Gon could hardly contain his smirk as he turned and gestured. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah," said Jar Jar.

"That is the sound of a thousand terrible things headed this way."

"And if they find us," added Obi-Wan. "They will crush us, grind us into tiny pieces and blast us into oblivion."

"Uh, yousa point is, uh, well seen," Jar Jar said, backing away from them as the Jedi exerted the bare minimum of Force persuasion to intimidate the strange and frankly rather annoying creature. "This way, hurry!" he said as he spun around, finally deciding on a direction to go. The Jedi, after exchanging amused glances, followed closely.


End file.
